Seven Days
by Pen Against Sword
Summary: Summary: Botan is locked into a room with Hiei during demon mating season. Disclaimer: This fic was written when the author was thirteen, during her first forays into writing. The writing level shows. It's not very good at all.
1. Prologue

**THE FIRST AND ONLY AUTHOR'S NOTE. READ THIS. PLEASE.**

**SERIOUSLY. READ THIS.  
**

_You're clicking this fic link why? Stop and ponder on why you're going to read a fic that was written five years ago, when the author was thirteen and in the seventh grade. Don't do it. Don't put yourself through that pain._

_And if you ARE going to attempt that pain, then please, don't be a douche. I know this fic is not necessarily the best. I wrote it. I improved. I'm STILL improving. I know enough to recognize that this fic is a piece of out-of-character, shoddily written tripe. Don't read it. I'm warning you. Don't read it. Instead, go read the work of some other Yu Yu Hakusho writer that does a better job than me, like, say _Mission X_. Now that's a good fanfic. This is not._

_In fact, the only reason this exists is because it was popular in its time, and I worked very hard on it, and it was the first fic I ever finished. It's like a macabre, rotting trophy that I still keep up. Like how some people keep their Pokemon cards, y'know? Just because it's still up doesn't mean I want constructive criticism on it._

_If you're going to help me and give me con-crit, read something that was written in at LEAST the last two years. I love con-crit. On stuff that matters._

_EDIT AS OF JUNE 16, 2011: To those of you who have protested my own violent self-criticism at the suck-level of this story, thank you. I want you to know that I appreciate your sentiments a great deal. I also want you to know: if you have read and enjoyed this story, I appreciate you and mean no disrespect toward you as I belittle my own thirteen-year-old lack of powess. Thank you so much for your love and support over the years; I always, always cherish all of you. Love you, readers.  
_

**Prologue: Monday**

Botan threw back the covers to her large violet bed groggily and rubbed her eyes, digging her toes into the soft, plush carpet that covered her bedroom floor. The smells of juniper and rosemary wafted about, softly fragrancing the room and giving Botan her own unique smell. Her pink eyes were glazed with sleep as she slipped out of bed and down the hall into the bathroom.

The hot shower was glorious on her bed-warmed skin. It made it flush a pink to match her eyes. She stepped out, whipping her cerulean locks to the back of her, linging water in the process. The fluffy blue towel on her skin made her yawn with comfort and she quickly dressed in the previously chosen blue kimono with pink obi to bring out her eyes.

Again, she drifted down the hallway, trailing one lazy hand along the wall as she went, currently lost in the confines of her mind. Coffee was definitely in order. She came into the kitchen and switched on the coffee maker, the mixings having been prepared the night before and set into place. The scent of her hazelnut coffee met her eager nose and she inhaled deeply. She grabbed a cup and poured some milk in, mixing it absent-mindedly. It was this coffee that gave her the jumpstart that got her going in the mornings. Without it, she realized that she would be absolutely and completely lost. She sighed. And it's off to work we go. Hi-ho! Hi-wait...wrong story.

So, with her crazy thoughts about a certain group of dwarves, Botan grabbed her trusty oar and leapt on, knowing that she needed to get out before Koenma decided that he needed her assistance. That, and she could sense lost souls in the area.

She flew through the air, loving the sensation of cool air on her face, hair whipping furiously. No naked eye could see her, not unless she willed it, that was. The ground below her grew smaller and smaller and she flew along, higher and higher. It was a fabulous thing, flying, and Botan did not envy anyone that did not have the gift. She could sense the lost souls nearing and she descended slowly, reveling in the way that her blue kimono sleeves billowed. It seemed to have a magnificently fantastical effect on any of the souls that she encountered.

This time, it was the soul of a teenage girl. The girl watched her with disturbingly empty eyes. Botan resisted the urge to shiver, knowing that spirits were very observant from having heightened senses. Losing the ability to feel generally made everything else sharper. The girl continues to watch, even when Botan bowed and flashed her one of her patented one-hundred watt smiles.

"Hello, there!" Botan greeted the still emotionless spirit. "I am Botan, Guide to the River Styx. I will be helping you crossover into the realm of the spirits on this very fine day. Death is only the beginning, I dare say!" Botan chuckled at her unintentional rhyme.

The spirit watched her listlessly. "Please," it suddenly said, its face darkening with sorrow. "Please, don't take me away from my family. They need me. I need them."

Botan frowned. This would be a hard case and she did not like having to deal with angry or sad souls. It was a very depressing thing. This looked to be a particularly harsh case.

"Oh, dear. Please, do not feel this way. I know that it is hard, but everyone has a time to go, be it soon or be it late. I know that it is hard." Botan's candy eyes were clouded. No matter what, dealing with the lost souls was always a hard thing.

The girl's eyes suddenly hardened. "How would you know? You don't _know_ anything! You are just a ferrier, a guide, a thief! You steal souls like me away from what we love! You have never had nything to love, so you would never ever be able to say to me that you know about it! Never, do you hear me? Never!"

Botan's sighed and shook her head. "It seems to me, dearheart, that you have some unfinished business to take care of in the world of the living. Do not tarry, for with each passing day, your life energy grows weaker, being given back to the world that it was drawn from. To properly rest in peace, you must learn to accept. I will be there when you are ready."

The girl's glare intensified and she was gone, off to some unknown task, to do something equally as unknown. Botan's heart was aching. Something about what that girl had said rang true. She _didn't_ have any experience with love. Or she could not remember it. Her past life was a blur to her. Over the years, it had gradually faded, leaving only brief glimpses of what it had been. Koenma had immediately seen her potential in comforting those that were lost and also her potential in the healing arts and ferrying. Therefore, the job had been offered and accepted. Oh, well, that did not matter now, she was with the Reikai Tantei and she was happy with her position.

Still, though, her heart felt strangely forlorn. She needed time to think. It was not to be though, as a tiny beeping was heard from her waist and she hastily grasped what looked to be a compaq mirror. She flipped it open, to gaze into the face of a chocolate-eyed toddler. His blue pacifier wobbled comically as he spoke to her.

"Botan, I need you to round up all of the Tantei, except for Kuwabara, and bring them to my office. There is a matter that is to be discussed."

"Hai, Koenma-sama. I am on it!" Botan saluted and the image of Koenma disappeared, leaving an ordinary mirror in its wake. Well, there was a couple of places that she knew to look. Kurama would definitely be in school, under the alias of Shuuichi. If Yusuke was not in the arcade, then he would be in school, Keiko having forced him to go. Hiei, well...all she had to do was find Yusuke and have him blow her demon whistle.

She mounted her oar and sped off toward Saryashiki High School. There, she found a red-haired emerald-eyed youth by the name of Minamino Shuuchi, better known by Botan and the Tantei as Kurama and better known to those of demon world as the legendary fox thief, Youko Kurama.

He quickly agreed to go with her, it being his school's luch break and it being that Koenma was his boss. He climbed on the oar behind her and they went to the next place they knew of, the arcade, since Yusuke was not at school. Kurama had to dodge the stinging fury of Botan's powder blue hair as they flew along at breakneck speeds.

The arcade was glowing and full of students that were obviously skipping classes. In the far corner a flash was seen and a glimpse of green could be caught. Botan and Kurama made their way to teh corner. The flash had been light reflecting off of a meticulously gelled head. The green was that of his uniform, one that was actually the wrong color for his school. Oh, well. Upon seeing Botan and Kurama, no words were needed and they left the arcade, making their merry little way to the park in the middle of the city.

"So, Botan, good to see you, again. What's happened in the past twelve hours that we haven't spoken?" The latter part was laced with sarcasm directed at a certain toddler. "I have recently found that I am clairvoyant. So, I'm gonna make a prediction. Let's see..." He closed his eyes and raised his hands, waving them about. "Koenma has a mission!" He declared dramamtically.

Botan laughed cheerily. "Well, actually...Never mind. Let's get Hiei here and I'll tell you what I know so far." She handed Yusuke the demon whistle.

"Okey dokey. No, Kuwabara, though?"

Botan shook her head and shrugged. "Koenma said to just get you three." He nodded and placed the shiny silver whistle to his lips. He blew hard, no sound seeming to come out. Kurama immediately covered his ears, however, as if there was something that only he could hear.

Soon enough, a flash of light on metal caught the group's eyes and the whistle in Yusuke's mouthfell to the ground in two pieces. They looked up to see Hiei rubbing his ears.

"That thing is highly annoying," he remarked dryly at their stares. Yusuke burst into laughter. It was a little funny, but Yusuke being himself, laughed at just about everything. So, it didn't really matter.

Hiei rolled his eyes and Kurama just smiled warmly. Botan brought her hand down in a sweeping gesture and a portal appeared, the colors swirling ominously. The portals always did look a little twisted and Botan preferred her oar, even if the portals were highly convenient. They all stepped in, one after the other, Botan and Hiei last. Hiei just because he hated being first, and Botan just because she liked to make sure that everyone got in safely.

Then, they were in Koenma's office. Koenma was busily stamping papers. Botan sighed and cleared her throat loudly, several times.

"Koenma," she said. No answer. "Koenma!" she cried. "KOENMA!" she bellowed in his ear, causing the other occupants in the room to wince. He still didn't look up, too engrossed in his work.

"Okay, sir, you've forced me into this!" she said sternly. Botan reached down slowly and planted her hands firmly on the little blue pacifier in his mouth. She tugged and out it came with a pop. He looked up suddenly, eyes watering.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! BOTAN! GIVE IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK!" He was jumping up and down for the pacifier and Botan held it above his head.

"Koenma, be quiet! Sit down and listen and maybe I'll give it to you!" she snapped. "I've had a trying day and I AM NOT IN THE MOOD!" Yusuke and Kurama gaped while Hiei's eyes widened fractionally. They had never really seen Botan angry before. She had been angry, but only playfully. This was rather strange. Koenma immediately quieted and sat back in his chair, looking at her warily. She handed him the pacifier and he sucked on it noisily.

"Well, since I need a nap and some me-time and I _really_ don't care what this new, inane, undoubtedly life-threatening mission will be, I am going to go to my room in this castle. If you need me, please _hesitate_ to ask." She stalked off, eyebrow twitching irritably. They all stared.

"What the heck's gotten into _her_?" Koenma muttered.

Yusuke looked scared. "Sheesh, she's worse than Keiko and I didn't think that was even possible." He thrust his hands into his pockets and continued to mumble to himself. Koenma cleared his throat.

"Well, the reason that I have called you here is probably easy to guess. What officially starts tonight at midnight?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Keep Planet Earth Clean Week?"

Koenma rolled his eyes. "No, you idiot. It's-"

"-Demon mating season," Kurama interjected. Yusuke stared.

"Eh...and this is relevant, why?"

"Normally, it wouldn't be, Yusuke. But," Koenma lifted an eyebrow. "This season, the full moon coincides with it."

"Point, please, toddler." Yusuke was getting impatient.

"My point is," Koenma shot Yusuke a glare. "That because of the full moon, this year demon mating season will be very, er...how shall I say this...a bit wild."

Yusuke burst into laughter, but then quitened at Koenma's glare. Koenma continued. "Instincts will be...harder to ignore. Normally, Hiei and Kurama an easily overcome these urges. But, becasue if the full moon, I think that it would be best if we contained you until the week of demon mating season ends."

Hiei and Kurama both looked displeased. Hiei was the one to speak up. "Koenma, do you honestly take us to be that weak? I think that we are more than capable of handling demon mating season."

Kurama slowly shook his head. "No, Hiei. I don't like this, either, but Youko has just informed me that the last time this happened, he was only eighteen and it was harder than anything. Let's just say that some human and demon girls alike better be glad that they did not come across his path."

"So," Yusuke asked hesitantly. "What's gonna happen to me?"

Koenma looked a little relieved. "Well, because you are only a tenth demon, you will only seem a little more perverted than usual. So, it is yours and Kuwabara's job to make sure that no one gets taken by weaker demons. I realize that you may not be able to prevent all of the...assaults...but, do your best. Hiei and Kurama, we have arranged rooms for you. They will be locked at midnight. You will find your accomodations...strange, but they will be good. JORGE!"

A blue ogre bustled into the room, bowing low to Koenma. Koenma nodded in acknowledgement. "Jorge, take Hiei and Kurama to their rooms. I will see Yusuke out." The ogre nodded and scurried out the door, Hiei and Kurama following. They sensed a portal open in the office that they were leaving and knew that Yusuke was being sent home. They traveled down many winding corridors, until they came to one. At the end were two doors, directly across the hall from each other. One door was deep midnight-blue and the other door was ivy-green. Hiei took the blue one and Kurama took the green one. It was going to be a long week.

-1-

Botan woke with a start. She had been dreaming about the spirit from earlier that day. For some reason, this bothered her immensely. What that girl had said, it was nagging at her mind. That was not why she had awakened. She had awakened because...she really had to go to the bathroom. She jumped up. Of all the things that Koenma had thought of for her room, a bathroom had not been one of them. She could never seem to find the blasted thing.

She ran out the door and through endless hallways. Her glowing digital watch told her that it was 11:45 P.M. Almost midnight. She ran for about ten minutes until coming to the hallway that resembled that of the bathroom. She saw the blue door and rushed to it, hopping through. It was, to her dismay, not the bathroom. It was a room, alright. But it wasn't the bathroom. It was really dark and her eyes were having trouble adjusting. She knew that this was not the bathroom though, because of dim shapes that she could make out. Her watch now read 11: 58 P.M. She jumped as a gleam caught her eye.

Botan turned slowly and saw that there were two red eyes staring at her from the darkness. She screamed and backed up toward the door, only to hear it a lock click behind her. She screamed again and beat upon the door.

"Dammit, onna! Will you be quiet!" A light came on and she whirled to see Hiei, perched on a large, soft-looking bed, in a far corner of the room. She let out a breath of relief.

"Oh, it's only you, Hiei. Sorry, your eyes scared the heck out of me. They are pretty eerie in the dark."

"Thanks," he replied dryly. "Now, get out of my room."

She looked at him and then turned around and twisted the doorknob in her hands. "Well...you see...the problem is...I can't."


	2. Night 1: Tuesday

**Night 1: Tuesday**

"WHAT!?" He bellowed. Botan winced.

"It's...locked?" she stated hesitantly. "Er...heh...heh?"

"Baka, onna, I--" They were cut off when Botan's communicator sounded. She fumbled for her pocket and gave a quiet 'Bingo!' when she found it. Flipping it open, she was met with the sight of a frantic Koenma. As soon as he saw her, he looked visibly relieved.

"Oh, man! Botan! We've been looking all over the place for you! I have to tell you some things, so get down here...please?" At seeing her look, the last word was added hastily.

She brightened suddenly. "Koenma! I'm locked in this room with Hiei. I bet you can get me out!" He suddenly looked horrified. "Er...you can get me out, can't you, Koenma?"

His eyes were wide with fear and horror. Mostly, the fear was for himself because when Botan found out and had access to him again, things would not be pretty. Oh, no, not pretty _at all._

"Uh...heh heh...er BOTAN!!! Have I ever told you how much you mean to me as a coworker and friend? Cuz it's true!" He was rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Wow! Thanks, Koenma! That--" She stopped. "Koenma?" She said very sweetly. His face took on a relieved tone.

"Yes, Botan?"

"You can't get me out of here, can you?" Koenma looked at her warily, shaking his head back and forth slowly. She smiled. And then...

Hiei silently counted to himself. 3...2...1...

"KOENMA!! GET ME OUT OF HERE, THIS INSTANT!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!"

Hiei placed his arms behind his head on the soft pillows. Oh, yes. This was going to be fun. He wished he had some sweet snow to eat while he watched.

"Er...well, the thing is, Botan, that the door can't be unlocked for..." He mumbled something at the end that Hiei and Botan were unable to decipher.

"What was that last part?" Her blue eyebrow was twitching dangerously, candy eyes on fire. Hiei briefly imagined steam coming from her ears.

"Well...the door can't be unlocked for anyone, that is unless they're mortally injured or sick, then it will unlock by itself. It can't be unlocked for exactly...erm...heh heh...seven days."

Botan's left eye was twitching rapidly and a vein in her temple was throbbing. "And...why exactly is that, Koenma?"

"Well..." Koenma gulped. This was not going to get a positive reaction. "It's demon mating season."

"And this is relevant..._why?_" She bit out, eyes closing briefly in an effort to maintain control.

"The full moon comes out this week." He said in a very small voice. It was very quiet and she almost didn't hear. But, unfortunately for him, she had.

"WWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!?" The castle shook and birds in trees scattered. Then, her eyes widened. She sank to the floor right where she stood.

"That means...that means...that means..." Koenma looked worried and Hiei looked amused.

"That means that...I'm stuck in a room with...a...a...a..." She almost couldn't say it. Key word? Almost. Hiei's prompting was always the best though!

"A...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a..." She kept repeating and it was grating on Hiei's nerves. His eyebrow started to twitch.

"Out with it, onna!"

Her eyes squiched shut and she blurted out, "A HORNY DEMON!!" Hiei and Koenma were stunned. Hiei looked like a fish. He was gaping and his eyes were wide. His mouth kept opening and closing. Koenma burst into raucous laughter. Hiei stopped gaping and growled. Koenma stopped laughing abruptly.

"I assure you, _baka onna_," he spat with fire in his eyes. "That I am not some low-class youkai who cannot control his primal instincts."

She gulped, having brought on Hiei's wrath. He stood there, giving hre his patented 'I-am-evil-incarnate' glare. If looks could kill, and Botan wasn't a ferry girl, then she would probably be the one being ferried.

Koenma burst into laughter again, but stopped when Botan and Hiei both yelled, "IT'S NOT FUNNY!!" Koenma grew serious.

"Botan, we will have you out in a week's time. Until then, Hiei, please keep your more feral instincts at bay."

"Hn."

"Botan, be careful. The process grows stronger as the week progresses. It is at its peak on the final day, when the full moon is at the end of its cycle and ready to reduce again."

"Don't worry, sir! I've got my trusty oar and my bat as well." She demonstrated by summoning both. He nodded. Hiei snorted.

"Like those instruments could keep me away."

Koenma's look was a grave one. "She better not have to use them, Hiei." Hiei glared. "What's he doing, now?" Koenma whispered, his eyes moving from side to side covertly.

Botan risked a look. "He's glaring," she said matter-of-factly.

Koenma nodded. "Well, best of luck to you, Botan!" And then he was gone, before Botan could utter any of the very convenient death threats that she had thought up. Oh, well, at least now she could think up more elaborate ones.

She sighed and leaned against the wall. "I'm tired." She had completely forgotten that she had to go to the bathroom at this point. "Where am I going to sleep?"

"Well, I am not moving out of this bed," Hiei said, fully expecting her to take the couch that was at the other end of the room.

"Fine! I'll be changing!" She huffed and walked over to the closet. She knew it was the closet because there was a large sign that said 'CLOSET' hanging on the door. She looked inside and saw nothing, but something pink caught her eye. She turned her head and caught sight of a pink satin pyjama set that she was certain hadn't been there before. She shrugged and grabbed it off of the hanger.

She traveled across the room, glancing at Hiei, seeing that he had his eyes closed, and then opened the door that was labeled 'BATHROOM.' She changed and came out. Then, a thought hit her. There was a way to get a good night's sleep _and_ get back at Hiei! Two Kuwabaras with one stone!

She crept over to the bed, where Hiei had taken off his cloak and snuggled under the covers. He was breathing deeply and he seemed to be asleep. His chest was showing and she noticed that it was very finely toned.

_Wow, he has a really nice body. Most women would kill to have a man with _that _body._ She blushed at her own thoughts. She also noticed that his katana was in his hands. Apparently, his warrior spirit got the best of him, even if he was in a _very_ secure area. She looked at him for a moment more, his breathing peaceful and his face lax. Most would say that his face was smooth and emotionless. Most were almost right. His face always seemed less harsh in sleep, though.

There never seemed to be any harsh lines in his face during the day, but when he was asleep, it always seemed that it had lost some type of sharpness. Almost everyone had seen him sleeping before. He slept in trees a lot and everyone in the Tantei had had to wake him up on occassion. Botan had just never really taken the time to study his face before now. He muttered something in his sleep and shifted, as if he could sense her eyes on him. He probably could with the Jagan eye protecting him.

She gently lifted the covers, knowing full well that he was a light sleeper. Who wouldn't be if you grew up in the Makai? She knew that she would probably be the same way. She very carefully, so as not to make the bed move to much and alert his very high senses, slipped in under the blankets. The bed was unusually warm. She wondered at that and then it hit her. He was a fire apparition. Duh.

Botan made sure that she was as far on the other side of the bed as possible, so as not to actually make physical contact with him, for that would also wake him. The covers were very warm and soon had her sleepy. Not only that, but for some reason, Hiei smelled really good. Not a cologne smell, she was sure that he wasn't a cologne person, but he smelled very strongly of sandalwood and some herbs that she knew but couldn't remember the names of.

Slowly, she drifted to sleep, breathing in the soothing scent of sandalwood. That was the last thing she remembered before she woke again, knowing that it was still nighttime. This time, she had woken for something she could not find the reason for. Then, she found it.

Something warm and firm was wrapped around her waist. She could feel something soft on her neck. It was warm and it kind of tickled. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder and came face to face with...

She held back a yelp of surprise. In her groggy state she hadn't even comprehended what the thing around her waste or the tickling on her neck could have been. Of course, as we all know and have probably all guessed by now, it was Hiei's arm around her waist and Hiei's breath on her neck. She very slowly, and very subtley tried to wriggle out from under his arm. She _really_ did not want to be caught like this. She had planned to wake before him and be out of the bed by then, so that he wouldn't know what she had done. It would have been a personal, secret victory.

As she was almost out from under his arm, the breath was suddenly forced out of her as he pulled her flush against him, rather forcefullly I might add. Now, she was facing forward because she had been trying to nudge herself out backward. She was shoved against his bare chest, feeling very warm. She suddenly envisioned Hiei as a giant, very warm teddy bear and had to hold back giggles, lest she wake him. She tried again to get out of his grasp and the arm tightened even more. She sighed and relazed, his arm doing so too.

She was almost asleep again when her eyes went very wide. She felt something in her hair. Fearing bugs, but still fearing Hiei's wrath even more if he woke up and found himself like this, she reached a hand up very slowly, resisting the urge to shriek (bugs were _reeeeeaaaaalllyyy_ not her thing), she felt to the spot and grasped...

She held back a yelp as she realized that it was Hiei's free hand. It was firmly entangled in her hair almost all the way to the roots. She sighed. She was going to have to get out somehow, but she would worry about that tomorrow morning. Besides, his...smell...was...really...intoxicating...


	3. Day 1: Tuesday

ShadoxVixen90: 2 hours later and I am already writing the third chapter thingy. Technically it's the second chapter because number one is a prologue but I don't give a flying flip! People are obviously liking it though. I have been asked about lemon. Sorry, all you folks who want it, but I'm fourteen and I don't do lemon. One, this computer can be accessed and I live with other people. Two, I just don't like to read that. Three, I'm a very modest person. That is why this is rated PG-13 so if you wanted lemon and that was the only reason that you're reading the story then stop reading! Here we go! (Warning: My poetic soul takes over, so if you can't put up with the fluffy poetic beauty, then skip it.)

**Day 1: Tuesday**

Botan woke with a jolt. Not good. She knew that it was near sunrise and Hiei _always_ woke with the sun. It was that damn warrior instinct. She slowly, very carefully, wriggled out of his grasp. Man, prying his grip off of her head _hurt. _

This time, he did not stir until she was out of the bed. He was patting the space around him. She saw that his katana had fallen to the ground and grasped it, placing it in his reach. His hand found it and he clutched the hilt. She almost laughed out loud at the way he looked. The picture was like a small child and a stuffed doll.

She grinned impishly instead and walked into the kitchen, wishing vehemently that there would be a coffee maker and hazelnut coffee. Her prayers were answered when she looked across the room and saw a coffee maker with said coffee resting next to it. She prepared the coffee and then sat at the table, watching the rythmic drip of the brown liquid slowly steaming out of the spout. Her eyelids began to droop. It really was an ungodly hour to be up. Soon, she was asleep once more.

-3-

Mmmmm...what was that delicious smell? Hiei opened his eyes. There was some very good smell assaulting his nostrils and it was wafting in from the open kitchen door. He belted his katana to his side, tossed on yesterday's rumpled cloak, and walked into the kitchen. He discovered that the smell was hazelnut coffee and that it was coming in from the coffeemaker. The onna was asleep at the table. He hadn't meant for her to sleep on the table! That had to be uncomfortable.

He went to the closet and saw that it was empty except for a set of clean black clothes and a very fluffy blue blanket. He picked up the blanket and threw it over her shoulders. She snuggled into it unconsciously. He watched as her blue hair dangled in her face and had to resist the very bad temptation to brush it away. Forunately, Hiei had very good control and resisted that particular urge with ease.

He walked back into the bedroom/entrance room and looked around, quickly finding the door labeled 'BATHROOM' and striding in. A cold bath would wake him up nicely. He filled the massive tub, slipped off his bed-wrinkled clothing, and dunked himsef under. It was very stimulating.

He had always liked cold baths. They woke him up and they were soothing. This was most likely because he was a fire apparition and the cold on his skin was shocking to his body temperature. That part was the wake up and the soothing part was probably because when his body adjusted to the water, it was relaxing, just as heat was relazing to a normal person, or at least anything not part fire elemental.

Soon enough, the water was as warm as any normal bath would have been from his intense body heat. He scrubbed down with some sandalwood soap. The funny thing was, he was almost positive that on the shelf he had grabbed the soap from, there had been no soap before. Oh, well. It _was_ Koenma's castle. This was most likely some accomodation for him.

He stepped out of the tub, pulling the chain on the drain plug as he did so, and focused his powers for a moments, his body tension draining further as scalding steam hissed off of his body. He self-dried himself and pulled on the clean clothes, tossing the dirty ones into the hamper. When he looked in, they had vanished. That was strange. Very strange. Yet, oddly convenient.

He walked out and found that Botan was now awake, blanket still wrapped around her tightly, pouring herself some of that scrumptious smelling coffee. She picked up the cup and swirled it a moment, then, not even bothering to add anything, tipped her head back and downed the whole thing in one very long gulp. Hiei watched this amusedly.

"I didn't ever imagine you as someone who drank their coffee black. Or drank coffee at all, for that matter." He smirked at her.

She opened one eye over the rim of her cup to peer at him. "I didn't ever imagine you as someone who had a sense of humor." He scowled and snatched the coffee cup on the counter. It had his name on it. He poured himself some coffee and didn't even wait for it to cool before downing his, also in one long gulp. He scowled again. She was obviously not someone who needed to be bothered before she had her coffee. Kurama was a lot like that, oddly. He knew how to stay away from those types.

She was drinking another cup, this one slowly. He walked back into the bedroom/entrance room and sat on the bed. Boredom was setting in even thought the day had already begun. This was going to be a long week. For some reason, he felt deja vu. Maybe that thought had crossed his mind before. Botan walked in and strode over to the closet. Her face looked haggard, like she hadn't gotten enough sleep. He wondered why. Well, maybe it was the fact that she had been sleeping at a table.

She grabbed a clean kimono and some other stuff out of the closet, grabbing a towel also, and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door soundly behind her.

Hiei leaned back against the pillows on the bed. He could already feel the effects of the mating season setting in, even this early on in the week. That was not good. Usually, he did not feel them until the week was halfway through. At its peak it was barely even noticeable. This was promising to be a difficult thing to ignore. He wondered idly if the room could supply him with shackles to be locked in. The thought of shackles quickly brought on some kinky images that he banished from his mind with very vicious head shaking and widened crimson eyes.

He was bored already. The only thing that he could do was listen to the shower running. He wanted somewhere to train. That would relieve the stress greatly. As if sensing something, he opened his eyes and saw that a new door had appeared. This one had a sign that read, 'TRAINING ROOM.' Okay...why not?

He got up, hand fingering the hilt of his katana, and walked over to the door. He placed his hands on the doorknob and turned it, coming into a very large white room. It had mats on the floor (all white) and plain walls. He smirked. Just what he needed. He drew his katana and the rhythmic strokes began. Soon, he was fully lost in concentration.

-3-

Botan walked out of the bathroom, fully clothed and ready for the day. The long, boring, nothing to do day. She was startled to see that another door had appeared across the room. A large sign adorned it. This one said 'TRAINING ROOM.' Hmmm. Hiei was missing. She had a hunch. The door was only slightly ajar and she could faintly hear swipings coming from the room.

She crept slowly up to the door, the carpet seeming more plushy to accomodate silent footfalls and placed on eye to the crack at the door. She was soon caught up in the spectacle that she was watching.

Hiei was there, training with his sword. He stroked, she, hearing the soft swoosh, as if he was slicing the very air. The blade gleamed and he leapt back without a sound emanating from his footfalls. Despite the fact that thick white mats covered the floor, she had a good idea that even if there weren't any mats, that there would still be silence upon his landing. He had removed his cloak, revealing the torn-sleeved black undershirt that he wore beneath it.

She watched as the muscles in his arms rippled with every thrust of his cruel katana. His body was not bulky, but lean and lightly framed. He leapt forward, jabbing with the sword, the blade gleaming again, catching the enchanted window light. She was sure they were enchanted. She could feel the spells woven into them.

It was hypnotic, like some strange dance being performed for some ancient ritual. It was beautiful, yet lethal at the same time. It was cruel, yet enticing. Her senses were enthralled as she watched, not moving a muscle, barely taking a single shallow breath. He did a twist to the left and then a back handspring, throwing the sword into the air before doing so, catching it when he came back. She held back a gasp as his strokes became faster, harder to keep track of.

Now, he was a blur of silver from the enticingly wicked blade, black from his clothing, and pale cream from his naturally fair skin. One color was fairly hard to distinguish, but it was there. It was there. A small blur, ever present, haunting, surreal. No, not surreal. It was almost..._tangible._ It was there, and the color ensnared her vision, locking her lavender eyes on the sweet sweet sight of it. The crimson.

The bloody, bloody crimson. It was there. It hovered, wherever the wisps of his hair appeared, the crimson blur was there. His eyes were like quicksand. The more that you struggled, the deeper you sank. They were an abyss of red, never letting go of their peculiar, palpable hold on you, sending you careening into nothingness. She felt that she was drowning. Drowning, drowning, drowning.

In a split second, the motions ceased, and he was standing, sword outstretched, panting heavily through his flaring nostrils. Sweat was pouring from his face, evaporating before the salty droplets could even fall from his jawline. She watched the steam from the liquid curl up in swirling patterns, snared in the heat that his body created, changed and redirected to a fate of life in the air, earlier than had been expected.

Then, slowly, ever-so-slowly, he brought his sword point down, and balanced it, tip pointing toward the ground. Carefully, so cautiously, he raised himself up, balancing by the tip of his finger touching the very hilt of his katana. This was it. The finale to the dance. It was...amazing. He was balancing on the end hilt of his sword, whole body poised, not even quivering slightly, equilibrium perfect. Any normal person would have fallen, toppled, or the sword tip would have sunken into the woven white mats. Not he. Not he. She pulled back when she realized that he was coming down after staying poised like that for nearly twenty minutes.

Hurriedly, she wished for a book and one appeared on the bed. She picked it up quickly and pretended to read it, sitting in one of the large, squashy armchairs. He walked in, eyeing her critically, then mentally shrugged, heading into the kitchen. He came back out, carrying a quart of chocolate ice cream. He was eating very quickly, and Botan raised an eyebrow at him, supressing her outrageous giggles. She had always found his sweet tooth very funny.

He raised an eyebrow right back and then rolled his eyes at her. She stuck out her tongue and he scowled, lying on the bed, eating the ice cream. It was gone in minutes, Botan having looked up from her book to watch the amazing feat with her own two eyes. It was incredible! No brain freeze, nothing!

"Doesn't that hurt your head _at all?_" Botan questioned incredulously.

"Hn." She took that as a no.

She sighed and went back to the book, soon getting caught up in the entrancing love story. It was a story about a normal woman, working as a reporter. She was average, not beautiful, like in those stupid stories, where the perfect girl hops into bed with the perfect guy. The girl had had a nervous break down and was staying in a clinic for a while. There, she met a man that was mostly silent. He was very rude and often staved off other people, but not the girl. The girl stuck to him and was getting him to open up, when Botan let out a large yawn.

Hiei had been leaning against the pillows. "I'm going to sleep. Don't sleep on the table. I'd rather not eat somewhere that is covered in blue hair."

She huffed and grabbed some pajamas out of the closet, going to take a shower. When she came out, Hiei was already sleeping. She smirked in a very Hiei-like way. More revenge was imminent.

She lifted the covers just as slowly and surreptitiously as the last time, slipping in next to him, and almost immediately this time, he had one arm around her, and the other in her hair. She felt his breathing deepen further beside her and he sighed slowly, contentedly. She wondered how many nights he actually slept well. Probably not many. What with his past and all. She let herself be warmed by his presence beside her. Slowly, again intoxicated by his heady scent...she closed her eyes...and...all...was...dark...


	4. Day 2: Wednesday

**Day 2: Wednesday**

Botan was, once again, asleep at the table. Hiei sighed and shook his head. Baka onna, how many times would he have to tell her that she didn't have to sleep at the stupid table? He shrugged and went to get some of that very good coffee. He downed it and took a shower, coming out and taking his katana into the training room to get rid of the tension. It seemed worse than it had yesterday.

Botan had awakened when he had left for his shower. She had decided that today she was going to read. Again. Because there was nothing else to do. She took her own bath and came back out, finding the same book from the other day sitting on the table next to the chair. She picked up where she had left off, finding a convenient little page marker stuck smack dab in the middle of the book.

This time, she read for a really long time. She finished the book without being interrupted by Hiei once. It turns out that the woman had cancer and when she and the guy had fallen in love, she had died. Botan hadn't really liked the book that much. She got up and stretched, hearing her joints crack, and decided that she wanted to shake off her lethargy.

She turned around to find a small portable stereo and some type of CD on the bedside table. She went over and picked up the CD, reading the back of the case. It was a taibo work out. Oh, well. She _had_ wanted to work off the lethargy. She changed into a tank top and some gray sweat pants and tied her hair up into a high ponytail.

The music that came from the stereo was loud and fast and Botan immediately found herself gaining energy from the beat. It rushed her adrenaline just to hear the thumping music and she let a large grin work its way onto her face as she thrust her feet and arms into the defenseless air surrounding her.

Left punch, kick, kick, kick, right punch, left punch, right punch, kick, kick, kick. The music was almost intoxicating and she lost herself in it. So far in concentration was she, that she hadn't noticed her dance/workout had become a spectator sport for one single ticket purchaser.

-4-

Hiei steamed the sweat from his drenched clothing and wiped his brow. The blood coursing through his veins was overheated. There had been legends of fire demons spontaneously combusting and he had laughed. Now, with the heat radiating through his body, he thought with some humor that it might not all be legend. Ready to begin his vigorous workout again, he stopped short when he caught the noise of some low thrum.

He strode over to the door and opened it slowly to come upon Botan. She was working to a taibo CD playing from a portable boombox that he had so often seen those punk ningens carrying in the early nineties. He peeked one garnet eye through the crack in the door, not really sure why he wanted to watch her at all.

Her body was fit, her curves showed off by her tight sweats and tank top. She was glistening with sweat and she was going relentlessly. He watched as she swayed gracefully, almost as if dancing, and never faltered once as the deep voice of the instructor called out directions. It was almost as if she was predicting which way he was going to call out next.

She stopped suddenly, wiping her forehead and shutting the tape off, striding into the kitchen for some unknown reason. She came back out with a glass of ice water, the condensing dew on the outside making the glass crystal-looking. She tilted her head back and drank slowly, deeply, he watching as her throat pulsed with every swallow.

The skin on her neck was a delicate creamy type and it was so enticing. He wanted so much to bare his fangs and sink them into that soft spongy flesh. It would have tasted so good and would have felt so good. And he would have...Oh, Kami! What was he thinking!? This mating season really was getting to him. He had actually thought about marking her. HER...the ferry onna! Blah!

He shook his head and strode out, glancing at the clock. He had been in the training room all day. It was almost seven o'clock now. He sat down on the bed and stared into space, not really caring if Botan acknowledged him or not.

She did acknowledge him. She was extremely bored. Bored out of her mind. As in tear down the walls and impersonate a squirrel she was so dern bored. So, thus was the fuel for the first attempt at a normal conversation between Botan and Hiei.

"So...Hiei..." she said lamely.

He looked at her, his gaze piercing. "Hn."

Well that was interesting. Incoherent phrases. Great start, don't you agree? "Well...how was your day?"

"Hn."

"Okay...so you spent the whole time training. Dumb question. I read a book. Would you like to hear about it?" She looked at him hopefully.

"Hn."

"Okay...never mind. How's Yukina?"

"Hn."

"Errr...has the mating season affected you any?"

"Hn."

Botan had had enough. Politeness wasn't working. "Stop saying that!"

"Hn!"

"Grrr...stop it!"

"Hn!"

"Stupid, moody koorime!"

"Baka ferry onna!"

"Oooooh...real creative...is that a new one?" He growled at her. "Oh...so now you're a dog, too?" Botan was getting a little too big for her britches. And in this position, her britches were very very small.

He stood up and advanced on her. She held her ground, staring at him defiantly. He grabbed her neck and shoved her against the wall, their faces inches apart, his snarling, hers stubborn. Then, his face was gone from her view and her feet were on the ground, with something warm on her neck.

Hiei's spiky black locks were tickling her nose as he...ack! He was nuzzling her neck! Not good, not good, not good. She tried to shove him off but he just growled at her forcefully and pinned her hands to the wall. She whimpered. His touch felt so warm. It was like fire and sent shivers through every fiber of her being. Her nerve endings were burning with it as he planted small firm kisses all the way along her collarbone. This was new. She hadn't known he could be gentle.

She let out a moan that she covered too late as he ran his fangs lightly over the place where her neck joined with her shoulder. She shivered and she felt him grin against her neck and realized what he was about to do. At this point, her logical mind took over.

"Hiei...stop Hiei..." He was still nuzzling that spot, licking it clean. "Hiei..." she said with a little more force. Still no response from the intinct driven koorime. "Hiei!" she screamed right in his ear. He looked up and she gazed into his ruby eyes. There, she saw something was different. They were darker, clouded, and it didn't look as if he knew what he was doing. He lowered his head once more and she could feel his sharp canines being pressed to her skin.Oh, no! If he marked her, they would permanently be mates. The only way to get rid of the bond was to kill one of them. She had to get him off of her. Her hand almost went of its own accord.

_**Smack!**_

She slapped the little koorime right across the face, making him freeze for a moment. He let her go and she slumped to the floor, breathing heavily. He backed away slowly, looking horrified.

"I'm...sorry..." he gasped out. She nearly gaped. The almighty Hiei-sama did not apologize! He was definitely not in his right mind. Her fears were eased however, when he came back to his old cheerful self. "Baka onna!" He snapped. "Do not argue with me! My instincts urge me, as the male, to prove dominance. I am quite sure that neither of us want that."

She gulped and nodded. He took a few breaths of air and then turned out the light, even though it was still very early. She could hear him rustling around and then it was silent. She knew that tonight would not be the night to sleep in the same bed with him. So, resigning herself to her fate, Botan reluctantly slept on the couch, missing the smell of sandalwood.


	5. Day 3: Thursday

**Day 3: Thursday**

Botan woke from the couch with a start. Last night came back to her in a flood and she blushed tremendously. Okay, so, today was a day to stay away from Hiei. Knowing Botan and her luck, it that was not something that was going to go smoothly.

Which was why it was a good thing that it was nearly noon and that Hiei was already in the training room. Man, she had gone to bed early and still slept until noon. She guessed that with the past nights and the number of times that she had awoken and the early times that she had to get up and make coffee had taken its toll on her weary body. She got up, made some of said coffee, and then shut herself in the bathroom for a long, soothing bath.

She slipped off her pajamas and slid into the water gracefully. The fact that Botan was a clutz was actually stereotypical to her personality. She was very poised and the only reason people thought that she was clutzy was because of her perky disposition.

She dunked her head under the clear water and opened her eyes. The surface above her shimmered in an eddy of a thousand different lights and colors. The tendrils of her blue hair drifted toward the surface as if reaching for it. Bubbles blossomed at her nose and traveled up to break at the surface of the water in a flurry. She sat there, under the water, for quite a while before bursting up, gasping for air and flinging water in a myriad of drops.

Sometimes, when she had been little (and alive), she had liked to pretend that she was a mermaid. It was something she had always wanted to do, but the want had gone away with age. Little had she known, mermaids were a real thing in the Makai. Actually, they were rare, but Botan had finally gotten to see one. This was why she had an unbidden pasion for the water.

She sat there, soaking, and another thought occured to her. Something that had been buried at the back of her mind for later. She was remembering what the spirit of that girl had said just before she had been locked in the room with Hiei. About how she could never know what it felt like to love. Botan had known at one point what it felt like to be loved, but for the afterlife of her she could not remember much of anything of her former life as a mortal.

It made her sad that, in a sense, the spirit girl was right. She _didn't_ know what it felt like to love. She knew what it felt like platonically, but not anything real. These thoughts just kept whirling around in her mind as she stepped from the tub and toweled her legs dry. There was nothing else to do, so when she stepped out of the bathroom, she still thought about it.

Botan sat in her chair, only getting up to eat and got to the bathroom every once in a while. She was so caught up in her depressed musings that she failed to notice Hiei walk out of the training room. Only when he waved a clawed hand in front of her face did she snap back to attention abruptly.

"Wha...?" She stared at him rather dumbly.

"Hn," was his simple answer. He gave no reason as to why he had brought her back into the realm of the functioning. She blinked a couple of times and then decided that conversation was the only way toget rid of this sick feeling she had.

"How was training, today?" Botan asked, not really interested.

"Hn."

"Come up with any new techniques?"

"Hn."

The way that this was going seemed slightly familiar, so Botan just shut her mouth and let Hiei do his own thing, which was to sit in the chair across the room. She ignored him, but could plainly tell that he was staring.

Meanwhile, across the room, Hiei's thoughts were wandering to the ferry girl sitting and staring off into space.

He studied her intently, taking in every feature of her. Her chin was strong and curved gracefully, accentuating her soft pink lips. Her fuschia eyes were glazed from either boredom or thought process, he couldn't tell which. The blue eyebrows that adorned her forehead were made for arching, though she didn't do it much. Hiei figured that she could pull of a pouty look very well.

Oh, how good she would look if she were pouting...wait, no. Hiei berated himself. Must. Stop. Thinking. Kinky. Thoughts. Hiei was not having an easy time as his eyes grew smoky and clouded and his breathing grew ragged and erratic. He had the sudden urge to say her name.

"Botan..." He said raspily, gaining her attention. She snapped her head toward him and her expression grew fearful at his half-lidded darkened eyes. She noticed his youki flaring strangely about him and that his Jagan was glowing. Another thing was that his breathing was rapid and shallow.

She gulped and he watched the pulse of her throat as she did so, it only seeming to fuel his youkai instincts. This was really not good. _Not. Good._ Botan stood slowly and covered her quivering chin with her hands as Hiei advanced on her slowly. He was soon nose to nose with her, his hot breath caressing her face.

He lifted a claw and traced it all the way down from her earlobe to her chin, moving her hands out of the way. She gulped again as he moved in closer and covered her lips with her own, kissing her softly, almost gently.

She gasped in surprise and he pulled away. She had actually liked what he had just done, but she knew that this was not something she wanted or needed. He would kill her for letting him, anyway. So, it was best that she snapped him out of his trance. She looked him straight in the eye.

"Hiei. Snap. Out. Of. It." She spaced her words carefully and spoke loudly, as if to an invalid and watched as his eyes cleared. He stepped back and seemed to shake himself.

Hiei was mortified. He had lost control. Again. This was not something he needed. Furiously, he threw himself back into his chair and glared at the carpet, brooding.

Botan was currently more afraid that the carpet was going to catch fire more than anything, so she abruptly took the reins on this situation.

"Hiei, you look a little tense." That was really stating the obvious. Way to go, Botan! Hurrah! She silently berated herself inside her head.

"Gee, you think?" Typical, she was trying to help and he just pushed her away. Well, this ferry girl was not giving up.

"Would you...like a massage?" She nearly kicked herself. Where had that come from?

Hiei looked at her sharply. "What did you say, Onna?"

"Erm..." She needed a lie fast. "Nothing?"

"Wrong. I believe you asked if I would like a massage, am I correct?" He glared at her, as if challenging her to lie to him.

She gulped once more. "Yes..." Hiei almost didn't catch it. Almost.

"Yes. I would like a massage." In her shock, Botan looked up and missed his _slightly_ clouded eyes. She sighed. How did she get herself into these situtations?

She got up and walked over to him cautiously, watching as he lowered himself onto the floor in a meditation position. She settled herself behind him and began to slowly knead the thick knots in his shoulders. Was he always this tense? No wonder the guy hated everyone, except Yukina.

He leaned back against her as she started work on a particularly large knot and she tensed a moment, stopping her ministrations. He growled irritatbly and she eeped, going back to what she was doing rather quickly.

She stopped again as she felt his body vibrate ever-so-slightly beneath her hands. Again he growled and she started back up, intrigued when the vibrations became a low hum. She wondered what it could be.

She nearly burst into giggles when she realized that he was purring. Imagine...a moody koorime like Hiei...purring! This time, she did burst into giggles and Hiei growled, turning enough so that he could peer at her from one crimson eye.

"Onna, what is so funny to have made you stop what you were doing?" He asked in a dangerous tone. She took several deep breaths and looked at him.

"You were...purring!" At this point, she burst into laughter again. He growled and she stopped.

"I was not purring. Now start again." She sighed and resumed the massage, smirking to herself when he started purring again. Ha! She knew that she was right. Score: Botan two and Hiei zero.

About fifteen minutes later, Botan's hands were growing very tired. She leaned down next to Hiei's head. "Hiei, can I stop now?"

No answer. She figured that he was being himself so she craned her neck to look at his face, in the process letting him go. He fell backward into her and she saw that his eyes were closed. He was asleep!

She guessed that even a warrior like Hiei got tired after all the physical activity that he had been doing. She slowly moved out from under the sleeping koorime, laying him down on the floor, one of his hands clutching her obi. When she tried to pry his fingers off of the bright sash though, he muttered and wrapped his arm fully around her waist so fast that she did not even have time to cry out before she was pulled right against him, one of his hands automatically going to her hair.

She sighed. He was going to kill her tomorrow. Oh, well. Might as well embrace death. She tentatively wrapped an arm around his back and placed the other in his hair. Wow, how could something that spiky be so soft? She bet he didn't even use conditioner. She would have to ask him tomorrow what his technique was. But for now, that smell of sandalwood was...so...very...heavy...on...her...senses...


	6. Day 4: Friday

**Day 4: Friday**

When Botan tried to gently wriggle out of Hiei's vice grip the next morning, she discovered that he was becoming all too comfortable with this. She came to this realization, on the basis of the fact that she could not get out of his grip like she had the other mornings. Now, he had managed to release her hair, somehow, but for some reason, he had latched both of his arms around her waist, and his legs were tangled in hers.

_Well, this is an awkward position. If someone were to see us like this, I would never hear the end of it. _Her thoughts continued along those lines until she felt her right foot go numb and prickly. This would not suffice. She needed to get out of Hiei's grip before he awoke, or all heck would break loose, and that was the understatement of the year.

Again, Botan tried wriggling out and gently disentangling his arms from her waist, but to no avail. His grip was like iron. Speaking of which, his arms were very, very toned. Botan could feel the muscles and tendons in them, stretching and sinewy. Again, the thought of any woman killing for a guy with his body ran through her head. Actually, she quite thought that she might kill for a guy with his body.

Snapping back to the predicament at hand, Botan realized that the hour of Hiei's awakening was drawing nigh. This was not good. If only Koenma hadn't gotten them stuck in there. If only she was still a spirit and could slip through walls and go--

Wait, a minute! That was it! All she had to do was go intangible. Duh, Botan! She wondered for a moment why she hadn't thought of that before. So, it was with that, that Botan phased out of Hiei's arms and onto the couch.

She sat there for a moment, watching him sleep, when suddenly, a thought hit her. So sudden was the inspiration, that she jumped up and shouted.

"BINGO!"

Hiei awoke with a start, on his feet in less than a tenth of a second, katana held at the ready, gleaming wickedly. Upon remembering that they were in the safe room, and remembering that he was with Botan, he turned his fiery glare on her and sheathed his katana, his eyes practically burning holes in her. She blinked and grinned at him innocently.

"Onna, why have you awakened me?" Hiei hissed.

Botan proceeded to bounce around on the tips of her toes, her cheeriest kitty face blazing. Hiei continued to glower at the bluette.

"Yay, yay, YAY!!" she cried.

Hiei clapped his hands over his ears and winced. "Onna, if you do not stop your high-pitched racket this instant, I will be forced to kill you!"

Botan stopped and waggled a finger in his face, causing him to snarl. "Now, now, Hiei! I've found a way out! Be nice or I will force my company on you for the rest of the week!" Hiei lifted an eyebrow at her. She giggled. "I can just turn into my spirit form and phase out!" Hiei's face dawned with realization and then reverted to its usual stony mask.

"So, go," he said more gruffly than usual. His simple words stung Botan more than she thought they would have. She stopped her hopping and stared for a moment, looking into his scarlet eyes. He stared back, his gaze being more of a glare than anything.

Botan thought she could see something going on in the depths of his blood-red irises, but couldn't be sure. She knew that Hiei felt more emotion than he ever let on, but now she didn't know if she had been right. If he really wanted her gone that badly, then she would go.

"Oh...okay, then. See ya, Hiei." Hiei thought that her tone sounded a little wounded. That was odd. He didn't know why she would feel that way. He watched her silently as her human form vanished, leaving a shimmering version of Botan in its place, white wisps of her form reaching out in tendrils to whisper at his face and caress his skin gently. For some reason, her mauve eyes were brighter in this form, as though they were dimmed by being mortal in some way. He would have to ask someone about that.

Botan focused and then phased through the floor, her essence flowing in a smooth, rippling motion and continuing on. She had always loved this feeling. The feeling of being in your true form and being free of mortal concerns. But then, that feeling abruptly ended as a new feeling replaced it. The feeling of being smashed into a brick wall at the speed of light.

Hiei stood for a moment, after Botan had disappeared, and then made to walk into the kitchen, only to stop when he sensed her again. He whirled on his heels and watched as she materialized in her human form, her body lying limp, but undamaged. He strode over to her, after seeing that she was not responding, and kneeled, shaking her by the shoulders. He was met with no response.

Genuinely concerned now, Hiei shook Botan harder, trying out his voice for a response from the immobile ferry girl.

"Onna." Nothing. "Baka onna." Still nothing. "Baka ferry onna!" Absolutely nothing, not even a flicker of the eyelashes. Her face was very pale, her breathing shallow. Hiei rested his ear against her chest and listened for the rythym that would be her pulse. At first, ther was nothing, but then, he heard a slight fluttering thump, followed by more. He sat back on his heels and let out a breath of relief. He didn't really know why he was so relieved, but he assumed it was because Koenma would have his head if his head ferry girl was dead.

((With Botan))

Botan was floating, floating. Floating in some gigantic white abyss. For some reason, she felt as though she was a cloud, light and feathery, not a care in the world. It was wonderful, not having to worry about...She couldn't remember who it was that she had to worry about. What was worry anyway? This was so great.

Then, a spot of black appeared. It blossomed, consuming her surroundings, taking away the light, happy feeling that prevailed her mind. She was falling now, opening her mouth to let out a throat ripping scream, but hearing nothing, even as shefelt her vocal cords vibrate with the muted sound waves.

Then, she was stopped as she landed on her bottom with a soundless thud. She opened her eyes to find that she was not in pain. Looking around, she realized that she was home. It had worked, but, for some reason, she was in the Ningenkai, at Genkai-sama's home.

Everyone was there. The whole gang: Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Yukina, Shizuru, Keiko, and Genkai. Botan grinned and then something struck her as odd. Why were Kurama and Hiei there? They were locked in their rooms in Reikai. So, she had been dreaming the whole thing. That would explain the white abyss, the falling, and the darkness.

Botan bounced over to Yusuke and reached for his shoulder, fully intending to describe the dream she had had, only to gasp soundlessly when her hand went straight through his shoulder. She lifted her hand and inspected it carefully. This was really weird. She was in her mortal form. That meant that she should have been able to touch them. Again, she reached for Yusuke's shoulder, and almost fell forward when her hand went straight through him.

Botan opened her mouth and tried to call out Yusuke's name, only managing to get a gust of air from her lips. No sound, nothing. It was like she didn't exist. No, she existed, but no one knew she was there. She had faded into the background. This was her worst fear. Her fear that no one really loved her and that she would eventually fade into nothingness.

She sat back on the ground and looked at her hands. There was nothing she could do, so why even bother? It was better to just go with it.

"Onna."

Botan laughed a bitter, nonsounding laugh. She was clearly imagining things.

"Onna!"

Botan shook her head. Now, she was hearing voices, too. Great.

"Botan!"

That voice sounded familiar. Well, better to welcome insanity with open arms. Botan jerked her head up and meet a flaming gaze, flinching as she realized who it was.

"Just go away. You're a figment of my imagination," she conceded sullenly.

"I assure you that I am not merely a figment of your already overactive imagination, baka onna." Botan's eyes widened and she realized that she was speaking to him.

"H-Hiei?" She questioned tentatively.

"Hn."

"It is you!" Botan threw herself into his arms, only to find that she was no longer in the grey world that she had been stuck in, but lying on the floor in the confinement room. She burst into tears and tightened her grip around Hiei, burying her head in the black fabric of his shirt.

Hiei stiffened, then slowly, tensely, placed his arms around her, almost mechanincally beginning to rub soothing circles on her back as she sobbed pitifully into his shirt. He reached up with his free hand and stroked her sky-blue hair with adept, slender fingers, while he rested his chin on her head.

When she had calmed enough to speak coherently, Botan pulled back and looked at him. She noticed that his headband was lying on the floor and that his Jagan eye was open. She blinked and then asked the question that had been burning for the last few minutes.

"What...what was that place?" Her voice cracked.

"Your mind." Hiei watched for her reaction, taking note of every little movement and bit of body language.

"My...mind?"

"Yes. Apparently, Koenma has set more wards than we originally thought on this prison. You ran into some spells that sent you into your own mind, your own darkest fears."

Botan nodded. "So, how did you get me out?"

Hiei rolled his eyes and Botan blushed. "Oh, I forgot about your Jagan." She laughed sheepishly. "Say, how long was I out for before you saved me?"

"A long time."

"How long?"

"It is now night in the outside world."

Botan gasped. "That long?" She yawned. "Man, I'm tired. That was more exhausting than I would have guessed."

It was then that Hiei noticed their position. That being, his arms around her waist, and her arms around his neck. She blushed and he made to pull away, but she stopped him.

"Wait, don't...don't leave me alone." She turned away from his piercing gaze and blushed at her own cowardice. Slowly, he nodded.

Botan tightened her grip on him as he laid back and she rested her head on his chest. His cheeks turned a very light shade of pink that she failed to notice.

As Botan fell into sleep that night, she couldn't help but think that the endless chasm that stretched between she and Hiei had been shortened enough so that she could see him on the other side, all due to the day's events. There were going to be things to ponder in the morning, that was for sure.


	7. Day 5: Saturday

**Day 5: Saturday**

Botan woke to the feeling of rising and falling, similar to the rock of a ship. When she gained her bearings, she realized that she couldn't see. It was all black and...sandalwood-y. She could smell sandalwood everywhere. It was permeating her nostrils. That and the blackness and the motion was making her sleepy again. That was, until she remembered the other day.

That had been horrible and now that she was out and...and...wait, where exactly was she now? Oh, that was right, she was in Hiei's...arms...GAH!

She was snoozing...in Hiei's arms. And he had let her do it, too. That was probably the scariest part. No, wait, the scariest part had been her mind void from yesterday. That had been downright strange...and depressing.

Who was she to kid? It wasn't like anyone would ever really love the deity of death. For Enma's sake, she road a flying oar, had blue hair, pink eyes, and was cheerful...when telling people they were dead. Who could love that? And that dream...that dream had been...had been...terrifying.

The sensation of calling out, but not hearing sound, not being heard. The sensation of attempting to touch, to feel, but receiving nothing for the effort. The sensation of the only solid object being the ground underneath your feet and even that was debatable. The sensation that she...had been forgotten. That no one remembered the sunny face that was Botan.

Botan didn't realize that she was crying into Hiei's cloak until a rumble undulated from his chest, turning into a deep, flowing baritone that was his voice.

"You are soaking my shirt."

Mauve irises met scarlet. Red-rimmed met clear. Sorrowful met emotionless...almost. Botan thought at first that there wasn't anything to be seen in the depths of Hiei's eyes. But, as the saying that the eyes are the windows of the soul goes, it's very much true. Botan could always read what a spirit was feeling through their eyes. Hiei was one of the only mortal beings that she had failed in that area with. Until now.

She could see...what was that? Concern? That was As Hiei looked into Botan's eyes, he remembered something that had been nagging at him for a while.

"Why is it that your eyes are brighter than normal when you are in spirit form, onna?"

Botan blinked. He had never really been interested in that sort of thing about her. "Why do you ask?"

"Never mind. It isn't like I care."

Botan frowned. "Sorry. I'll tell you anyway. It's because the eyes are the windows of the soul." Hiei looked at her for a moment before snorting in an undignified manner and rolling his eyes. She huffed, immediately forgetting why she had been crying.

"It's true! Where do you think that saying came from?" Hiei shrugged and went to get up, but the same as before, Botan held on tighter.

"Onna..." he growled. She whimpered. What she didn't notice was his breathing grow heavy and his eyes cloud over, becoming the color of dried-blood. His body began to shake with strain.

"Onna, get off of me," he bit out through gritted teeth. Her face was washed with comprehension and she let go and backed up quickly, hiding herself behind the couch. She peeked over the side to see Hiei clenching and unclenching his fists, his eyes squeezed shut. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he opened his now clear eyes.

Without another word, he walked into the training room, it being around ten a.m. and Botan sighed. Now, the boredom would strike. Oh, what boredom. As a light bulb flickered on above her head, she figured out what it was that she wanted to do. She wanted desperately to go swimming. She just felt like swimming.

As if on cue, her eyes flickered to the right and she noticed a door where there headn't been one before. This one was labelled 'POOL ROOM'. Botan lifted a curious eyebrow, shrugged, and walked over to the closet, where she had a feeling a swimsuit would be waiting for her.

Sure, enough, in the closet was a flowered two-piece bikini set that was yellow and mauve, to match her eyes. The yellow went quite well with her hair and she was pleased to see that her mortal body hadn't put on any extra blubber lately when she changed into the suit. Her stomach was still flat and her legs still shapely. She grabbed a fluffy pink towel and flounced into the pool room, coming to a stop as her mouth dropped open.

Before her lay an exotic wonder. The pool was made of wood paneling and designed to look like a natural waterfall scene. Several waterfalls cascaded into smaller relaxing pools in a shower of mist while plants thrived. Botan was thrilled to discover that the pool was heated as she had hoped when she dipped her feet in. She quickly walked down the cobbled steps and into the water, dunking her powder-blue head under the surface.

Beginning with slow strokes, Botan began to take laps around the pool, thoroughly enjoying herself. But, once again, her activities had morphed into a spectator sport.

-7-

Hiei was actually bored. That was a first. For some reason, training wasn't satisfying his body. There was some strange thirst there. Like he needed something that only a certain person could give. He had a few theories as to what that could be, but he didn't want to think of that at all.Stopping in mid-thrust, watching his blade glint in the sunlight of the enchanted windows, he sheathed his katana and stepped out of the training room, fully intending to find Botan and have some fun messing with her brain. Nothing offensive, but if she was to be there, he was going to use her to his advantage. Wait, use her to his advantage...best not to think that way...these mating instincts were becoming stronger.

The fire youkai noticed that there was another door in the living room now. It branched off and was labelled 'POOL ROOM'. Hearing and smelling water, he flitted over, leaning to peer one eye in the crack of the door.

He had to fight some distinct urges at what he was seeing. Botan was there, swimming, in a jungle-like pool. It reminded him somewhat of the Makai and he felt a pang as he remembered that he could be out somewhere, enjoying a tree to sleep in. So much for that.

Botan was slowly making laps around the pool, diving under once in a while to twist around pointlessly and continue her circuit. Hiei felt his feet moving and couldn't stop them as his senses fogged. When he found himself at the edge of the pool, he had to regain his control.

Botan looked up, pink eyes surprised. "Oh, hello, Hiei. Why don't you join me?"

Hiei smirked. "Baka onna. Like I'd want to swim in some ningen pool full of filth."

Botan growled and then grinned. Unexpectedly, which was strange because Hiei normally noticed these things, she grabbed his foot and dragged him in (He really must have been feeling off to not have dodged). She laughed hysterically as he came up, spluttering water all over, his spikey hair drooping only fractionally.

He growled at her, furious that his cloak was now sodden and sopping. "What is so amusing?"

She choked out between giggles. "You're hair...is still...spiked..."

He touched his hair and then glowered at her, almost poutingly, which made her laugh harder, as he looked so cute when he pouted. She had to admit, the fire demon was very good-looking. She would have to be blind not to see it. Especially, since the water was accentuating every muscle in his body. She stopped laughing long enough to run her eyes up and down his frame, which he did not fail to catch, causing him to smirk.

He grabbed her chin and brought her face close, his eyes darkened. "Do you...like what you see, onna?" he said huskily.

She gulped and something struck her. Might as well play along. It might help relieve his stress. Then again, it might just get her into a more complicating situation. Botan wasn't one to hesitate, so..."I dunno, Hiei. Do _you_ like what _you _see?" He blinked, seeming to come back to his senses, and backed up, leaping out of the pool and instantly drying, the water in his clothing evaporating into steamy clouds.

Hiei scowled at her before flickering out of the room. Botan sighed. She had probably just ruined what little progress they had made.

-7-

Hiei leaned against the wall, trying to quell the desires leaping up inside of him like flames. Seeing her in that bikini suit had set him off. He was seriously doubting whether or not he was going to make it without claiming her or...he shuddered, interrupting that thought process.

He would just have to tell her to lock herself in another room or something while he went throught the peak stages of his season. That was going to be fun. Joy be-eth his. For a moment, thinking along those lines, the hiyoukai wondered how Kurama was doing. But, alas, that is for another tale, one that is undoubtedly locked away in the confining enigma that is a writer's mind.

Seeing that he still had a few hours left, Hiei flitted into the training room and unsheathed his katana, going for another round.

-7-

Botan stepped out and grabbed her towel off of the bench, beginning to rub herself dry. Her fingers were all pruney and wrinkled, but she felt better, relaxed, as if some of her excess energy had seeped out through her pores while she was exercising.

She walked back into the living room and grabbed some pajamas, changing back in the bathroom. When she ca,e out, her watch read nine p.m. Botan, feeling thoroughly exhausted, as you were prone to after a good swim, decided that if Hiei refused to share the bed, then _he_ could sleep on the floor.

She rolled herself into the blankets and snuggled in, falling asleep almost instantly.

-7-

Hiei came out of the training room, feeling like he needed a good sleep. When he discovered, to his dismay, that the bed was occupied, his irritation sprouted and blossomed. This would not do at all.

Well, if Botan was going to steal the bed, he wasn't about to take the floor. Plus, waking her up would not be a pretty thing. So, with that, he slipped in beside her, falling asleep in a few moments as her unique, soft scent overtook his olfactory nerves.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the sleeping apparition involuntarily reached a hand up to be twnied in her hair and reached an arm over to drape comfortably and familiarly around her waist. Almost like...a perfect fit.


	8. Day 6: Sunday

**Day 6: Sunday**

Botan woke up and felt something nuzzling her cheek. It was warm and smooth, creating a delicious sensation on her skin. She inhaled and smelled…sandalwood. Wait…sandalwood?

Botan shot up with alarm, only to be pulled back underneath the covers by Hiei. Funny thing was, he was fast asleep…and he was nuzzling her cheek with his nose. It tickled immensely and felt so good that Botan's eyes rolled upwards a little ways and she closed her eyes, sighing contentedly. Hey, Hiei had gotten into the bed; he was the one who was going to have to get out because she sure wasn't going to.

Besides, she was finding that she kind of _liked_ the temperamental koorime's company. Which was strange in of itself, but Botan had never been afraid of Hiei as others had. Sure, at first she was knew he had been a vicious killer and that he would probably strike her down in one blow if he had wanted to.

But he hadn't.

He had had the perfect chance on many occasions when he hadn't been part of the Tantei (And when he had) and he hadn't done it. Botan recalled one very vividly and always had.

It had been when Keiko was kidnapped. Hiei had kidnapped her and Yusuke had gone to get her, Botan, of course, going along. Yusuke had been untrained and weak, and Hiei, had it not been for his over-confidence, would most certainly have beaten him.

Hiei had taken the stolen Ghostslayer and slashed Keiko with it, effectively starting her on a one-way trip to being a mindless zombie-slave. While Yusuke had fought with Hiei, Botan had used her own psychic and healing powers to restrain the effects of Ghostslayer. She remembered her energy reaching out to lock the eyes on Keiko's forehead closed while the two fought. She also remembered glancing up occasionally when a lull in the fighting had taken place (Usually when Hiei had begun to monologue) and taking in their opponent. She remembered that he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, even then.

He was beautiful, even when he was against them.

She remembered afterwards, after he had been defeated, that she had hated herself for ever thinking of him that way. But then, when he had become a part of the team, her opinion of his beauty had not stopped. Every time she looked upon him, she had thought him more beautiful than the last time.

Botan had never been in love with Hiei or even had any sort of crush on him, but for some reason, she still always thought that he was beautiful and that she would rather spend the day just staring at him than any million-dollar painting. She had had to almost train herself to keep from staring and she was constantly fearful that he would read her mind and come in one those thoughts.

But, apparently, the master of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, Tantei member, full-time older brother, and Forbidden Child had other, more important things to do than read a Ferry Girl's mind.

Botan stopped her thoughts and turned her face to regard him once more, enjoying the feel of his naturally heated breath caressing her cheek. It soothed her and she let her eyes drift shut once again, failing to see that Hiei's had fluttered open, revealing piercing rubies.

Hiei held her close, even though he realized that he was doing it. Lately, he had begun to realize, after watching her for a while, that she was beautiful. She was as beautiful and more as her namesake, the peony.

And in many ways, she reminded him of a flower. If not tended to for a period of time, the flower would wilt and die. If not given enough attention, the flower would fade and become a part of the background. Someone needed to tend this flower and Hiei thought that…no. That would not be something advisable. He was the Forbidden Child, destined never to love and never to be loved in return. Best not to linger upon things that would never be.

But for then, all he wanted to do was rest with her in his arms.

**-7-**

Botan stretched and shivered, feeling a sudden temperature change. She looked to her right and saw that the space next to her was empty, devoid of any warm demons to keep her company. She had enjoyed that, which was what made it such a pity. It wasn't like Hiei had. He had probably hated it.

For some reason, Botan felt that she needed another good swim to let some energy out. She felt restless again and she needed this badly, so she hopped into the shower and out as quickly as possible and looked into the closet. This time, there was a much more conservative bathing suit.

It was a one piece and it was blue. It was darker than her hair, contrasting to bring out the lighter color better. She slipped it on in the still steamy bathroom and headed out to the pool.

As soon as she got there, Botan could feel herself become ready to swim. Not hesitating in the least, she leapt into the this time cold water and started doing fast laps around and around, cutting through the water like a knife to butter.

The cool fingers of water stroked her as she swam, cradled her like a mother to a child and she felt herself go into a stupor, not really aware of her surrounding until a voice broke into the haze that had overcome her mind.

"Onna, I cannot find the beverage that you seem to be so fond of in the mornings. Direct me to it."

Her mind cleared quickly, a chime going off in her head, and her amethyst eyes snapped open, meeting scarlet. She stood in the shallow end of the pool and lifted one blue eyebrow.

"The house normally just gives the you whatever you need. Just think about it."

Hiei sneered. "I have tried that already and it failed."

Botan mock-gasped. "Oh, my…is the Almighty Hiei-sama asking for—dare I even utter it—help?"

Hiei growled at her and began to stalk off. Botan sighed and shouted at his retreating form. "Wait, Hiei! I was only joking. I'll see what I can do." Botan began to pull herself out of the pool and onto the slick surface of lacquered wood. She heaved herself onto her feet and began to walk after Hiei, half-running to keep up with his long strides.

Then, as if in slow motion, Botan's feet hit a particularly slick patch of floor and they went out from under her in a smooth motion, causing the deity to fall backwards. She would have cracked her skull had it not been for two firm arms enveloping her and keeping her upright.

Botan slowly opened her eyes and they traveled along the length of the black-swathed arms encircling her waist. Her eyes met Hiei's and they sprang apart, Hiei breathing deeply, the oxygen flowing out of his open mouth slightly ragged. Botan watched him warily, and after about five minutes, he seemed to gain control.

It was strange, but Botan seemed to think that it had taken him much longer than before to regain his self-control. It was getting worse and she could tell. For some odd reason, she wasn't scared.

Botan wasn't in the least bit scared of what might happen to her when Hiei reached the peak of his instinctually driven habits at the end of the week. And that puzzled her.

She was puzzled because she realized that she should have been frightened, terrified even, shaking in her swimsuit, but she wasn't. She thought about the concept of a hormone-mad koorime repeatedly to gauge her own reaction and still no fear.

Botan didn't know why she was not frightened, she just wasn't.

But there was one thing that she knew and that whatever happened at the end of that week, Hiei was her friend and always would be, and she would do everything in her power to help him.

Little did Botan know, that her unspoken vow would hold much more value than she had originally anticipated.

**-7-**

Botan walked into the kitchen and immediately noticed the bag of hazelnut coffee that appeared for her. With a smug look, she turned to Hiei and noticed that he was glowering at the bag of coffee as if it had committed some type of offense. It was quite a funny picture actually and Botan was finding it exceedingly difficult to hold in her mirth. She promptly burst out laughing.

Hiei turned his glare in her direction and she still could not stop laughing even though his expression changed from normal glare to the 'I-Am-Going-To-Hurt-You' look. Strangely, they didn't look much different. Which happened to make the Not-So-Grim-Reaper laugh even harder.

"What, may I ask, is so funny, you baka?" He hissed, venom dripping from his words.

"I can't…too much…the look on your face…so funny!" Botan collapsed onto the floor, clutching her stomach, her face reddened. He only glowered further.

"And _what_ look would that be, onna?" The floor was practically melting from the acid dripping off of his lips.

She gasped for breath. "Glare…Glare of Death!"

He lifted an eyebrow, no longer angry, merely bemused. "Glare of Death? Are you telling me that you pay enough attention to my expressions to have named them, onna? How much attention do you pay me?"

Botan stopped laughing and blushed. "It's not that! I just pay a lot of attention. For instance, I know every one of yours, Yusuke's, and Kurama's expressions!"

Hiei's eyebrow lifted higher. "What about the fool?"

Botan only had to think for a moment before she realized that he was talking about Kuwabara. "Eh heh…he only has a few expressions and most of them are kind of well…stupid."

Hiei smirked. Score: Hiei: 5,798,352, Kuwabara: 0. "All of them except for the fool's?"

Botan nodded. "I'll prove it!" She took a stance that looked as though she was angry. She crossed her arms over her chest and spread her feet apart about four inches and lowered her brow so that she was glaring heatedly in Hiei's direction.

In a voice that sounded remarkably like his, she said, "I am Hiei, master of the Jagan and the Dragon of Darkness Flame. Feel my wrath as I kill you before you even see what I am doing." With this, Botan unsheathed her imaginary katana and tossed her imaginary cloak aside, taking a defensive position.

"Now…you die." She pointed one finger at him and imaginarily rushed forward, stopping to look at him expectantly. He scoffed at her antics.

"I do not sound like that." He sneered at her.

"Yes, you do. And this is how Yusuke sounds." She placed her fingers in the form of a gun and spread her feet apart to look as if she was bracing herself. Then, she lifted one eyebrow and smirked in an arrogant way, one bit of her teeth showing.

"Look, now I'm tired of your cheap talk. Either fight me or sit so I can kill you faster." Botan's 'Yusuke-Smirk' grew wider, showing all of her teeth. "No? Okay, then, we can do this the hard way. REI GUN!"

Hiei sat down in a kitchen chair and looked at her expectantly. "Do the kitsune."

Botan grinned. She placed both of her feet very close together and raised her posture, making her back ramrod straight as she let her blue hair down and placed a hand in it. "Let us talk this out. There is always another way. I would rather not harm anyone. What do you say?" Her expression darkened. "Alright, then. If that is the way that you wish to handle this, so be it. ROSE WHIP!" She jumped back and flicked her wrist as if an imaginary weapon were there.

Hiei smirked. She was surprisingly good at imitating people. Not that he would ever tell her that, of course, but he had no trouble acknowledging the fact in his mind. "The toddler."

Botan didn't like the tone he was ordering her in, but she was having fun with the impressions, and if Hiei hadn't enjoyed them, he wouldn't have asked her to continue them for him to watch. He probably would have 'Hn'ed and walked out.

Botan pinched her nose and pointed at Hiei, assuming a lazy, conceited look on her face, eyes half-lidded. "Hiei, if you don't go n this mission, I will be forced to throw you in prison. OGRE! GET ME MY RUBEBR STAMPS! I HAVE BORING, INANE PAPERWORK TO TAKE CARE OF!" Her voice sounded nasally.

Again, Hiei smirked and asked for another. "The fool."

This time, Botan ran into the other room and came out with a white bandana with kanji written on it. She tied it around her forehead and spread her feet, placing one hand on her hip and one hand pointing into the air. She looked up at the sky. "I, Kazuma Kuwabara, vow to protect thee, for the POWER OF LOVE!"

Botan would have continued had it not been for a sound that puzzled her. It was low and rough, pleasing to the ears as it came in a deep baritone. It sent ripples of pleasure through her body and she shivered as she looked to the source. It was Hiei and he was…laughing.

She had never, in any of the time being around him, seen him laugh. Never. She hadn't seen him smile but twice. Sure, he smirked, but having never seen him even smile but two times, seeing laughter from Hiei almost put her into shock. Nevertheless, Botan found that she liked his laughter, and wished that he would do it more often.

When he finally stopped, he looked at her and stood, smirking. "As entertaining as this has been, I am going to train." Botan detected the attempted sarcasm in his voice and held her smile until he had gone.

**-7-**

Hiei, having finished training around midnight, came to see that the onna was not in the bed. She was.

He shrugged and slipped out of his cloak and shirt, placing his katana against the wall. He wriggled into the bed and unconsciously slipped an arm around Botan's waist, the other stroking her hair. The scent of peonies was…overwhelming…his…senses…


	9. Peak

**Last Day: Monday**

Hiei woke drenched in sweat, his pants sticking to his body like an extra skin. He was tangled in the sheets, but, amazingly, Botan was still sleeping peacefully, although she was ensnared in the troublesome bedclothes as well. His raven bangs were sticking to his forehead and his skin felt clammy. Looking at Botan next to him sent his head into dizzy spells, so he averted his eyes.

Rising unsteadily, Hiei planted his feet infirmly on the carpet and attempted to stand rather precariously. His body swayed as another round of dizziness overtook him and he plopped to his knees, the cushiony layering on the floor of the living room muffling his fall, keeping Botan asleep. He didn't want her to see him in such a state of weakness. It made him feel slightly inadequate.

Instead of trying to stand again, Hiei crawled on his hands and knees toward the kitchen, only one thought on his mind at that moment.

Coffee. Hazelnut coffee.

He figured that maybe the caffeine in the drink would dispel some of this pain and sickness. He wasn't exactly sure if the mating season was the reason, but that was the only factor that he could procure that would explain the situation. To think he, the mighty Hiei, the only known master of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, the Jaganshi, could be stultified by a mere mating season. This was not only particularly onerous, but it was infuriating.

Hiei could feel his rage burning quickly inside from a smoldering flame to a roaring flash fire. He knew what to do in this situation. He reached deep inside of his core and balled the rage, funneling it into his limbs, feeling the energy pulse and throb and grow to support his weakened body. In seconds, he could stand again and was flexing his muscles, a strange light coming into his garnet eyes, making them glow like twin flames.

The Flying Shadow smirked and flitted into the kitchen, starting the coffeemaker and reposing in one of the stiff-backed wooden chairs. The smirk hovered around his features, refusing to dissipate and Hiei couldn't seem to school his countenance, not really knowing why. When the coffeemaker had stopped gurgling and sloshing brown substance into the pot, Hiei snatched a mug full and downed it, flickering into the Training Room, where he unsheathed his katana and began his normal morning routine, or what could have been called normal for that particular week.

Still, though, a strange sensation had flooded his limbs along with the energy that his rage always gave him. It was a tingling, dancing feeling and for some reason, it was also a tense feeling, like the sensation that had been building in his body from the start of this week. It was disorienting and even as quickly as he had begun to gather his thoughts and energy, he could feel it starting to slip away and he desperately tried to retrieve it, feeling as it sifted through his subconscious like sand through his fingers.

Hiei slipped smoothly onto the matted floor, his cheek making a thud as it hit the warmed material. He could feel the coarse threads of the synthetic fibers making up the mats rubbing on the skin of his face and bare chest. He attempted to move but could not even twitch a finger. This was not only irritating, but again, infuriating. This time around though, he couldn't focus his fury into energy like he had taught himself to do so many years into his childhood. That, in itself, was even more frustrating. He let out a vicious snarl and found that that was about the only thing that he _could_ do.

Hiei, being frustrated, and not entirely in his right mind, decided to vent his peevishness in the only way he knew how: he roared. Not like a lion, mind you, just an extremely loud shout. Since his dementia had no doubt increased by this time, he failed to recall that Botan was still slumbering peacefully. Well, at this point she was neither slumbering nor peaceful. At this point she was flying toward the open door of the Training Room as if her feet were adorned with wings.

Upon her arrival, Botan discovered the sight of something that was not only strange but also slightly amusing. There, on the matted floor, laid an incapacitated Hiei. Botan didn't really understand how it had come to be that he had landed in the form of his legs crumpled beneath him at a very odd and uncomfortable-looking position. His face was very red and his eyes were moving, but that (besides breathing) seemed to be the only thing that he could move. Botan (very wisely) stifled a chuckle.

Hiei, seeing Botan standing above him in her ridiculous fuchsia pajamas, endeavored to produce what was known to most as "speech". It came out sounding like this: "O-a, o a-ay! I a o i…"

Botan lifted an eyebrow and translated in her mind. It came out as this: "Onna, go away! I can do this…" Botan rolled her eyes and smiled. "Hiei, I think that you might need some help."

Since Hiei was having trouble shifting his eyebrows so that he could glare properly, he just fell silent. There was no sense in trying if he couldn't _move_. He sighed and Botan took his silence and the exhalation as a sign that she had permission to take him into a more comfortable place.

Bending carefully, Botan tucked a few cerulean strands behind her ears to keep out of her eyes. First, she grabbed Hiei's legs, surprised at how firm the muscles were (she disregarded it, knowing that she would have time to contemplate it later), and dragged his body straight. Then, she flipped him onto his back and closed his open mouth with another stifled giggle. She could almost feel the daggers in the nonexistent glare being shot at her.

Then, Botan slipped her one arm under his shoulders, looping it in his armpits, which were thankfully not sweaty yet, and another under his knees. He was as heavy as she would have imagined with all of his muscle, but still far lighter than a normal warrior because of his stamina. He was a difficult load and Botan had to tread carefully in order to get him to the couch—where she intended to lay him—without stumbling and dropping him. She had to support his head on her shoulder because it kept lolling and his spiky locks tickled her chin deliciously.

When she had finally reached the couch and laid Hiei down, Botan collapsed next to him, wiping her brow and dragging him so that his head was resting in her lap. He blinked at her and she looked to where his eyes had just flitted and were now settled. His hand. His pinky finger was wiggling back and forth rhythmically. She grinned at him and turned her smile to 100-watts. This was going to be a long process and Botan was still tired, considering that it was still around five in the morning, Hiei being that early riser that he was.

Botan settled back into the couch and fell asleep with a lapful of Hiei.

-8-

Hiei, however, as Botan caught forty winks, had time to brood the situation. This was definitely the mating season. He didn't know _why_ he was in this state, but something was niggling at the back of his head. Or rather, the front. Or rather, in his forehead, in his Jagan. Hiei found that he could feel his Jagan functioning and for some reason it felt as though it was absorbing his energy from his body and focusing it in the center of the psychic eye.

Again there was a niggling only this time, it was really his mind. He remembered a flash of something that had been rumored to him by other psychics. They had said that in the time where the body was choosing a mate, the source of all psychic energy would store amounts of physical energy that was unneeded a few hours before the peak of the season. He had remembered feeling weak before at the end of the mating season every four years, but never anything drastic. This must have been another side affect of the full moon occurring during the week.

Well, this was just great. Now he would have even more power with which to possibly rape the onna. Wait, why did he even care? It was probably because Reikai jail would be imminent after that particular event. That and the fact that doing anything of a sexual nature with someone who had once been a _ningen_, of all things, was despicable. It was odd though, how, even as he thought that, his mind brought up several very colorful, very vivid, images that featured he and Botan participating in some type of sexual activity together, that he didn't get a bad taste in his mouth or get the urge to cleanse himself thoroughly. Actually, he felt…no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! This was not anything he should be feeling. Hiei quickly banished those thoughts. Of course, the heat pooling in his lower extremities indicated that he felt otherwise about the situation.

It had to be a side-affect of the mating season. HAD TO. No other explanation for it. With that, Hiei began to try and wriggle his hands again, only managing to move a pinky.

-8-

Botan opened her eyes and looked down to where the shifting that had awakened her was occurring. The stirring was Hiei, moving his arm from the elbow down ever so slightly. She flashed him another grin and he scowled, successfully moving his facial muscles this time.

Hiei felt numb, and his limbs were tingling, each one only having the ability to move a fraction. This was so hindering that he almost wanted to scream again, but he refrained, knowing that Botan wouldn't find it so amusing a second time. His head was clearing slowly; as if a light breeze were steadily stirring a fog and he could feel his strength returning with more vigor than before.

Two Hours Later, Around Three o'clock in the Afternoon 

Botan was sipping a mug of coffee and letting her hair air-dry as she combed her fingers through it at the kitchen table when her ears caught the sound of a muffled thump. Sighing, she set down her cup and flounced into the living room, where Hiei was lying face down in the carpet, a low growl emanating from his body. She did not stifle her giggle this time as she realized that he had been struggling to move and had wriggled his way off of the side of the couch. He turned and snarled in her direction when he realized that she was the source of the jovial noise that was disrupting his black mood. She laughed again and dragged him back onto the couch.

Ten o'clock in the Evening 

Botan shut off the tai-bo tape and stepped into the living room again to find Hiei sitting upright on the couch, seeming to have his strength back in full. She grinned. "Hiei, up and at 'em! Feeling any better?"

His head rose slowly and Botan could feel her stomach sink as foreboding weighed it down…his eyes were clouded, smoldering like hot coals. She gulped.

His voice was thick and laden with desire as he said, "Onna…can't control…much longer…lock yourself in the…kitchen."

Botan's eyes widened and she shook her head slowly in obstinate refusal.

"_Now!_" He bit through clenched teeth, his fangs glistening. Botan squeaked and skittered into the kitchen, slamming and locking the door behind her, her chest heaving as she panted.

Behind the kitchen door, Botan could hear labored breathing and the sound of shredding cloth. She wondered what would happen if Hiei hurt himself somehow. Would he hurt himself?

Botan felt a little guilty about leaving him to handle the mating season at its peak, when it was the most difficult, alone, but she felt at that moment that there was nothing to be done. At least, that was what the sensible side of her insisted. However, that's not what the side that promoted loyalty to her friends was telling her. It was telling her to get out there and do what was right for Hiei.

Botan, dismayed, curled into a ball against the closed door, listening to the sounds of Hiei in tormenting anguish. Her mind was raging a battle with her soul and she was being ripped apart at the seams. All of this was simply too much for her…too much…

Then, her mind brought up the fact that she would have to do…that…with Hiei! She expected herself to shudder, and she did, but found that it was not a bad shudder…but more like…

Unbidden, images of Hiei popped in front of her eyes. There was Hiei, lying in the large bed with no shirt, his chiseled pale chest exposed and moving up and down, up and down. There was Hiei, his hair sodden and his cloak clinging to him in all the right places as he stared at her through water-soaked bangs. There was Hiei, the feel of his body pressed against her as she rubbed his shoulders, vibrations running through his torso and passing to hers. And Hiei…kissing her…his lips soft, heated, pliable…

Okay, so maybe mating with Hiei wouldn't be too much of an unpleasant experience. But still, her mind told her forcefully that she would be bound for life to him and that there was no way out of it. And Hiei was surly and grouchy and didn't want to call her by her real name…

But, her heart insisted, he's still your friend and he would do the same for you.

Would he? her mind questioned. Would he do the same?

Who cares? her heart exclaimed. He deserves to be helped! Who has ever cared enough for him to do anything? How would you feel if…no one helped you…if no one loved you?

That was when, suddenly, Botan remembered the lost soul of the girl, her eyes sad and woeful, informing Botan of the truth that, she had never ever had anything to love and making Botan think that she was correct…never ever…

And with that, her mind was made up. Botan unlocked the door to the kitchen and stepped into the living room, right as she heard a cry of anguish from Hiei.

The sight that she was met with was beautiful, heart-stopping.

Hiei stood, his hair grown into two different raven points and his skin green (the shredding noise had been his cloak being torn off, therefore allowing his skin to be viewed), his fangs elongated, his claws extended into vicious points, his skin green, mapped with many copies of the Jagan. His aura pulsated and resonated, making him glow surreally. Still, even in the state as he was, his hideous demon form, Botan's heart reached for him and in her heart…she believed that he was beautiful.

Hiei advanced on her and Botan tensed, waiting for him to grab her, to be brutal and violent like some sort of animal. She clenched her eyes shut and waited for the first blow, completely ready and not feeling any regret. Thus, she was surprised extremely when there was a gentle touch upon her arm and a pleasantly heated body pressed against hers, his aura pleasing, enticing.

She looked into twin ruby flames that she half-consciously recognized as eyes and suddenly felt soft lips press upon her own, hungry, alluring, burning pleasurably. She sighed into Hiei's mouth and he took that opportunity to slip his tongue between her lips and explore her mouth, caressing every firmly.

Botan could feel her arousal growing and was still half-surprised even though she knew that she was attracted to Hiei. When her eyes reopened, the blue-haired deity could see that Hiei was reverting back to his humanoid form. His crimson eyes bored into hers and he spoke in a husky voice.

"I thought I told you to stay away from me."

Botan broke into a soft smile. "What made you think that I would listen?"

His brow furrowed. "You don't want this, Onna…not me…"

Botan, surprisingly, scowled at him. "You're not talking me out of it. I…_do_ want you…that's the strange part and unless you find me repulsive, then I'm not leaving."

The shock—and Botan could swear she saw happiness—in his eyes was something Botan had never seen before. "You are not…repulsive." She knew it had taken him a lot to say that. Was that almost a compliment? "But I am the Forbidden Child. What would you want with me?" Botan scowled again.

"I don't care about your people's stupid prophecies for you. They can shove them somewhere appropriate!" Hiei's eyes widened and regained their smoky texture as he smirked slyly.

"Your attitude is very attractive to me, Onna. No…more…talking…" Botan didn't have time to continue though, as Hiei suddenly began softly kissing her neck, teasing her sensitive skin with a combination of teeth, lips, and tongue. She moaned lightly and blushed when she heard him growl in appreciation. She also blushed because she could feel him smirk against her skin. He was definitely still Hiei.

The fire koorime began to suck at one particular spot that had always been pleasure to Botan: the junction between her neck and shoulders. Hiei led her to the bed and settled her onto it, resting his weight on his elbows as he cleaned at that particular spot. Botan let out another moan that quickly turned into a cry of pain as she felt sharp fangs bury themselves in her skin.

Hiei licked at the coppery substance pouring from her wound and growled in pleasure, the metallic taste of the deity's blood lingering in his mouth even as the bleeding stopped.

"What…" Botan gasped as the pain turned into a delicious tingling sensation. "Did you just…do?"

Hiei smirked again. "I just marked you as mine now, Onna."

Botan frowned through the waves of ecstasy flowing from the point of the wound. "So now I'm just some kind of property to you?"

Hiei continued to smirk, kissing her heatedly once more before answering with, "Mark me as yours, Onna."

Botan stared at him for a long moment before placing her teeth on his shoulder, determined to break skin on her first try. Hiei did not even wince as she plunged her blunt, omnivorous teeth into his flesh and Botan licked away at what little blood he produced.

Botan could feel Hiei's arousal radiating from his aura and he looked her in the eyes once more before plunging into another kiss. His voice gruff, he growled, "I can't resist taking you now, Botan." And Botan realized that not only had he called her by her name, but also whatever misgivings she had now were too late. So, Botan looked at him and kissed him again, her tongue clashing with his. From that point on, everything was bliss, a flash of blinding ecstasy as their names were cried by each other into the darkened room and into their shoulders.

When, finally, Hiei and Botan collapsed into each other's arms, sleep came almost instantly.

-8-

Botan woke and stretched, feeling the bare flesh of another rub against her own and she remembered the last night and with it came soreness, but she welcomed it. Then, she turned to look into the eyes of her mate and saw that he was awake and gazing at her blankly. He smirked and Botan knew that whatever came along, it was going to be a wild ride.

She smiled at him cheerily, to which he rolled his eyes, to which she did not take personally and said, "I wonder how Kurama's been keeping himself occupied this whole time?"

And that, my friends, is another story, indeed.


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Botan had slipped on her nightgown and was padding lazily into the kitchen when the door to the suite burst open with a crash and Koenma ran in, brandishing a pitchfork.

"Hiei! If you've laid _one_ hand on Botan, I swear I'll—"

"You'll _what_?" Botan interjected, her foot tapping impatiently as she slowly crossed her arms over her chest. Her pink eyes were narrowed.

"Botan!" he exclaimed. "I…who…what…where's Hiei?"

The question was answered by a growling yawn from the bed.

"Here, Toddler."

Koenma glared in his direction and saw that Hiei was shirtless. "What's been going on here?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Hiei flickered out of sight and into sight, this time with his arms wrapped around Botan's waist and his head on her shoulder. She squealed delightedly as he grabbed her.

"What do you think has been going on?" He smirked.

"I…wabba…hibba…homina…"

Koenma promptly passed out.

Botan disengaged herself from her lover's arms and walked over to Koenma's prone teenage form. She prodded his body with her foot.

"Are you sure that was the _best_ way to handle this?"

"No, but it was the most effective," Hiei answered, without a blink.

"Isn't the most effective the best?"

"Not always."

Hiei took the death deity's hand and led the way out the door, into the currently almost empty hallways of Reikai palace. Hiei was still only wearing pants and Botan was in her nightgown, but Hiei didn't seem to mind. A blue ogre ran by suddenly, and stopped dead at the sight of them, one eye twitching. His mouth dropped open at their linked hands and he suddenly threw his papers up into a whirlwind of documents. When they settled, he was out cold on the floor.

Botan lifted an eyebrow and Hiei rolled his eyes very, very slowly. He was surrounded by idiots.

"Is passing out in a dead faint going to be the only reaction we get from everyone?" Botan wondered aloud.

"I'm going to assume that was a rhetorical question," Hiei said, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. Botan sighed.

"Let's go then."

Hiei nodded, then, on sudden impulse, scooped Botan up and sped down the hall, with her shrieking in surprise the whole time.

-10-

"Now, we have to approach this _carefully_, Hiei. You don't want Yusuke and Kuwabara jumping you. Do remember that they are very protective of me."

Hiei growled. "The fool will do nothing to harm me and the Detective knows better than to try anything. You are _my_ mate, not theirs."

Botan rolled her eyes and knocked on the door to Genkai's dojo. They had flown by oar to reach Ningenkai. Yusuke and the others had most likely already sensed their arrival. The door opened on the third knock and Yukina ushered them in, a secretive smile on her pretty face as she glanced between the two in rapid succession. Botan figured that the ice maiden could sense the new bond between the fire youkai and the ferry girl.

"I see there have been some changes." Hiei nodded solemnly as they entered the sitting area.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were collapsed on the couch, heads rolled back and eye closed in exhaustion.

"What have you two been doing all this time?" Botan asked.

Genkai shot Botan a look from her place on a cushion on the floor. "I could ask _you_ the same question," she hinted, smirking as she glanced in Hiei's direction. Botan flushed and Hiei scowled at the old woman.  
"Not another word, old woman."

Yusuke's head rose slowly, and he blinked several times, as if to gain his bearings. "Not another word about _what_?" he asked slowly, suspiciously.

Botan cleared her throat, shuffling her feet a bit and drawing a circle with her toe. Hiei smirked. This gave Yusuke cause for alarm. "Wait…what are you smirking about? Hiei?"

Kuwabara had begun to look between the two of them suspiciously. Genkai sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll tell you since they are both reluctant to do so, it seems. Hiei and Botan seem to have…mated."

"_WHAT!_" the twin the shouts echoed about the dojo. Kuwabara and Yusuke stared.

"Well, at least they didn't faint," Botan said, smiling nervously.

"You…the shrimp…the dirty deed?" Kuwabara spluttered.

Yusuke seemed to stare for a moment more and then shrugged, letting his head fall back against the couch again. "Never knew you had it in you, Hiei. Gotta give ya props, man. I'm too tired to really care right now." Kuwabara just continued to stare.

Suddenly, something hit Botan. "Hey…where's Kurama?"

Yusuke, Yukina, Genkai, and Kuwabara shot each other looks in front of the diminutive demon and the not-so-grim reaper.

"Well…about that…" Yusuke began.

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!_

Botan whipped out her communicator and opened it up. She snapped it closed after examining it for a few moments. Hiei looked at her questioningly.

"Something I have to take care of. I'll see you in a bit."

-8-

Botan tilted the handle of her oar down, lowering toward the ground. It was a familiar spot. Haunting eyes greeted her from a corporeal form.

"I see you're ready to move on to the next life, then," Botan said to the soul of the teenaged girl. It was _the_ soul. She nodded.

"You've settled everything you needed?"

"Yes. I wanted to…apologize for some of the things I said to you before."

"No need," Botan said. "It was true. But I know something now. I know what love is. And I know that without what I have now, I would be angry too."

The soul smiled at her, holding out a hand. Botan took it, intending to lead her to Reikai where she belonged.

After that, she would find out about this Kurama thing. Curious and curiouser.


End file.
